Grace

22

I APOLOGISE TO ANYONE WHO COULDN'T SEE THE CHAPTER. SOMEHOW THE TEXT GOT DELETED AND I DID NOT NOTICE UNTIL AFTER I PUBLISHED IT. YOU SHOULD NOT BE TOO LOST ON THIS CHAPTER.

Destinny argued, "Desman, listen! She ran away. Tell me where she is or I'm pressing charges."

"Impossible, and no, she's fine where she's at. Leave her alone because you ran off. You're the one who put your hands on her for that thug. You're over there acting like a fucking punching bag. It's a miracle you even put him out. Did he beat you when you did that?"

Destinny sighed heavily. A tear streamed down her cheek. She lowered her voice as if she wasn't the only one in the home. "Desman, King threatened to kill me if I didn't have his granddaughter. He wants me to bring her to meet him, but Grace hates me. I messed up. I messed up bad and I'm just not fit for this anymore. He's paying me to watch over her and I don't even have her. He'll blow my head off if he finds out that I put my hands on her."

"As he should," Desman responded, "I'll inform Grace of this. You just need to focus on worrying about you, and stop asking for money when you know you have it. You're selfish, you're insensitive and you never cared about Grace. You're jealous of her just like you were jealous of London."

Desman ended the call. Destinny lowered her head as painful tears sprinted from her red eyes. She was hurt and shocked that the truth had been told. She had finally got a small dose of her own medicine, but that was only the beginning.

Grace walked into the empty home, sitting her bags down. She was due to go into work at five, which was just a good hour away. She was expecting to see Dominic but she figured his hours were crazy. As she prepared herself a small leftover meal, her phone rang in her pocket.

She looked at Desman's contact, "Hey, what's up?"

"I got a move for us Saturday night. A good friend of mine is having a small party. It would mean a lot if you would come as my unofficial date."

"Please don't ever use move, ever. I would love to. Doesn't look like Dominic is going to be home anyways."

Desman chuckled, and his laugh was contagious. She didn't even know what she was laughing at exactly. Grace forked a piece of her lasagna, stuffing it into her mouth as Desman shuffled.

"Well, we'll go get you a cute outfit or something. Anything to fit for you."

"That would be nice. Are you busy now?"

"I am not, why, what's up?" Desman replied. Grace asked, "Could you take me to work? I don't want to spend another dollar on a taxi."

"You're getting too old to not have a car. What's holding you back? I know some good, cheap places."

"Well, we can schedule that for the weekend as well. I'll see you when you get here. Be careful, love you." Grace ended the call as he replied, beginning to gobble her delicious food down.

Dominic complained, "She just pisses me off sometimes, man. I've given her stuff that no one ever could. At one point when things weren't right for her, she was in my home. We weren't on the best of terms due to some decisions she made, but, hell it never changed how I felt about her. I love her."

Chad nodded. "Of course you love her. She's your mother. I know my mama and me will never be the same. She's a big ass hypocrite and she never gives credit where it's due. My brother always got more love than me. I think that's why he's a pussy now."

Dominic chuckled. "And my girl, man, she's insane. She think my mama this saint but I be trying to make her see through that. All she knows is the little, sweet lady with a warm heart. She never seen the bruised lady with a broken heart from a a sorry dude hurting her repeatedly. I just wish she'd stop accepting him into our lives. We're good without him."

"And my brother always got to top me. I bought a new car, he buys another condo. I get a timeshare, he buys a whole fucking beach house. Man, I tell you, I think my fiance feeling him too because she always hating on his wife, talking about how I never buy her Michael Coach. Whatever."

Dominic shook his head. He propped his leg on the swivel chair, shrugging. They continued to complain back to one another. Neither of them were listening. They just wanted to speak aloud and get it off of their chests.  Dominic was sick and tired of the ongoing battle between him and his own father, but he could never accept and forgive him like Sharon had.

As he cleared out his locker to head home, his phone chirped. Chad teased, "Who's that? Your girl?"

"No," Dominic lied, opening the picture message. He stared in astonishment at the sexy picture she had sent. She was in his bed with his shirt on, revealing her cleavage and silky underwear. He sighed in content, knowing he was going home to her and no other man was.

Jeremy sat at the bar of an infamous strip club. The same strip club he had been to when he seen Destinny. She was in a trance that night and making her money. She didn't even notice him as she gave him a private lap dance. That was until he drug her into the dressing room, and demanded that she tell him what Quanndel had in plans. He was so hungry back then.

The smell of Cherry Blossom invaded his nostrils as a scantily clad dressed woman occupied the seat beside him. She was a little older. His eyes roamed over her small frame. She had jet black hair which was styled into a sleek ponytail, curvy shape, and deep brown eyes to match. He became attracted at the sound of her voice, her accent thick.

"That all tonight, Rosie?" The bartender questioned. Jeremy slid the bartender a twenty while saying, "Add a shot of Tequila to that."

Rosie turned in her seat seemingly unimpressed by him. "Did you ask if you could add that?" She said as the bartender prepared their drinks.

"No, but I knew you wouldn't give me much fight." Jeremy answered, a flirtatious look in his eyes.

She smirked, "Well, don't do that again. I can pay for my own and yours. Thank you."

"Baby girl, why are you so hostile? You're too pretty to have a cold chip on a shoulder? Tell me who it was that ruined your night. Your girl? Your man?"

Rosie rolled her eyes, taking her drink from the bar. "It was you thinking that just because I sat beside you that I wanted to kick something off. I have to work now. Now, if you aren't buying a dance or giving me any type of money, have a nice night."

"I got money and I would love a lap dance.." Those simple words had Rosie leading him to a secluded section of the club, where she gave him the best dance he had ever received. He would've been a fool to let her slip away from his fingers.